What do you think about this Washington state ballot measure?

Question

http://tinyurl.com/3do83l
"Proponents of same-sex marriage have introduced a ballot measure that would require heterosexual couples to have a child within three years or have their marriages annulled."

I have used the same logic for years against the argument that homosexual relationships are "wrong" because they cannot naturally produce children. I think it is great that this group is taking it one step further to combat the prejudice that the gay community is facing.

I won't waste any time with Joseph's obvious attempt to sabotage my question with the half-mile copy and paste because it will be deleted soon enough.

I understand how some of you feel that it is a waste of time for this group to be introducing this measure and that it might have an adverse effect, however, we are not the ones who are trying (state-by-state) to ban gay marriage.

Was that not the first punch thrown in this schoolyard fight?

Answer 1

I agree with the point of the legislation, namely that reproduction is not a valid argument as to who should marry or not. Or, to put it more plainly, equal rights(and/or equal "oppression) for all. If same-sex couples cannot marry because they cannot reproduce, then childless heterosexual couples should also be barred from marriage.

However, the reality is that this legislation is not intended to be practical. It is merely to raise awareness of the inequality that same-sex couples still face. As such, it has no real chance of passage. Also, it ties up valuable procedural time that the WA election board and/or the statehouse could be using to address the problem more directly and effectively.

The other issue about this initiative is that it will almost certainly prompt a backlash from the...shall we say..."intellectually challenged" side of the cultural and political aisle.

The gender of people who wish to marry should not be an issue effecting their ability to obtain a legal marriage. Action should be taken to achieve this equality of status between same-sex and hetero couples. However, this particular action does not appear wise and would seem to have a minimal probability of achieving the desired goal.

Answer 2

Most all of Washington is Mail-in ballots, so many measures might not be known for a week or more.

Answer 3

Oh Joseph... them's fightin' words, my friend. Same sex couples should have all the same rights that I and my husband do. Period. No two ways about it. Also, please cite the website where you copied your data because half of it is false. Copying and pasting the footnoted references is not good enough. Thanks.

Unfortunately, this bill makes the gay-marriage proponents look desperate and it definitely does not help the cause. I detest the "cannot produce children" argument as much as the next person, but forcing people to have children to justify marriage is insane.

Answer 4

Although I can understand the frustration that would cause people to want to do this, I personally think its a bit much. Yes, religious zealots have used the procreation argument to attack us, but this is just so much sour grapes in my view. Having said that, I should point out I live in Canada where we have gay marriage so my opinion is just that, my opinion. Whatever the case, good luck with the struggle for equality.

Answer 5

I think opponents of same-sex marriage are religious idiots (or political opportunists) who have nothing better to do with their lives. And when they come out of the closet, they usually have a lot of explaining to do.

Then there are same sex marriage opponents like President Bush who just does whatever his handlers tell him to do. Am I the only one who thinks there's something gay about college fraternities like Skull and Bones? Not that there's anything wrong with a bunch of guys meeting in secret, taking off their clothes and talking about their sexual history, mind you. It's just, well, you know ....

Answer 6

Their proposal demonstrates that those against gay marriage are idiots with no sense of reality or irony.

Even moreso since it's the most hardcore godbots are the worst adulterers, violating their own rules from the buybull. It's the godbots who divorce and remarry the most.


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Answer 7

Notice how none of Joseph's "facts" are current or up to date (as in within the last 10 years), if in fact they were not taken out of context. This is especially true of all the items relating to AIDS - many advances have been made in the last 10-20 years.

Although I chuckle at the prosed measure, I think it does not stand any chance of passing. I hope it tends to raise awareness and not heighten displays of ignorance and bigotry (see above).

Answer 8

I think it's baiting and counter-productive.

You compared it to a schoolyard fight. Don't you think we should behave more like adults - guiding and educating those (child combatants) who would prevent same sex marriage - rather than playing them at their game and coming off looking at least as silly to them as they do to us?

Answer 9

74 percent of statistics are incorrect.

I think it sounds sarcastic and bitchy. Instead of wasting time making up fake ballots like that, they should be spending their time trying to educate people like Joseph C.

Answer 10

I'm in favor of gay marriage. The "measure" is absurd.